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Subendometrial contractility in menstrual phase visualized by transvaginal sonography in patients with endometriosis
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Granada Medical School, Spain.
Objective:
To describe the propagation direction of the subendometrial myometrial contractile wave in menstrual phase sonographically assessed in patients with and without endometriosis.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
Patients and normal volunteers in a university hospital.
Patients:
Sixteen women with (study group) and 21 without (control group) endometriosis.
Interventions:
Patients were examined by transvaginal sonography (midsaggital plane of the uterus) and recorded on videotape for a 5-minute period.
Main Outcome Measure:
Direction of propagation of contraction waves.
Results:
The endometriosis group showed a predominant retrograde pattern whereas the control group showed a normal antegrade.
Conclusion:
This abnormal cervix-to-fundus myometrial activity could well increase the amount of peritoneal shedding of endometrial menstrual debris, increasing the probabilities of its heterotopic implantation.